Adolescents placed in Charis’ program are typically very difficult to place and have experienced numerous placement failures in less restrictive environments. For many of these youth, the mental health interventions they receive through Medication Support Services, Mental Health Services and Case Management are critical to their success in a community-based program; and help avoid placement in a more restrictive setting, such as a community treatment facility, out of state placement or acute hospital.

Services are provided for as long as the client needs and benefits from such services and are terminated when such services are no longer needed.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

ASSESSMENT: An Assessment is a comprehensive clinical analysis of the history and current status of the individual’s mental, emotional, and behavioral disorder. The assessment documents the history, diagnosis and mental status determination. It includes relevant issues relating to cultural, linguistic, and family involvement. It documents the use of or abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. It is an appraisal of the individual’s psychological functioning, living situation, daily activities, social support system, and physical health status. Assessment services are limited to an intake evaluation, mental health evaluation and testing and scoring procedures necessary for the evaluation and treatment of the individual’s mental health needs. It establishes the medical necessity for ongoing treatment. Assessments are completed by Licensed Practitioners of the Healing Arts (LPHA) which include Charis’ Psychiatrist, LCSW’s, MFT’s and registered interns with the Board of Behavioral Sciences. The types of assessments may be:

Initial Psychiatric Assessment

Intake Assessment Report

Lab Test on Psychotropic Medications

Mental Health 24-hour crisis intervention services

Initial Medication Evaluation

TREATMENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT: Treatment Plan Development is the development of coordination plans, treatment plans or service plans, verification of mental health services and medical necessity, and monitoring the individual’s progress. This will be overseen and supervised by a licensed therapist.

Identification of Mental Health Needs

Coordination of Plans, Treatment Plans, Service Plans

Verification of Medical and Service Delivery

Interagency and Intra-agency Consultation, Coordination, and Referral

Monitoring Individual’s Progress

Discharge Planning and Placement Follow-up

THERAPY: Therapeutic interventions consistent with the individual’s goals/desired results/personal challenges that focus primarily on symptom reduction as a means to improve functional impairments. This service is delivered by a Charis licensed therapist to an individual, group or in family therapy.

Individual, Group, and Family therapy

Behavior Stabilization

REHABILITATION SERVICES: Assistance in restoring or maintaining an individual’s or group of individuals’ functional skills, daily living skills, medication compliance, and support services. Counseling of the individual and/or family; training in leisure activities needed to achieve the individual’s goals/desired results/personal challenges; and medication education. These services are provided by a team of mental health specialists all supervised by a licensed therapist team.

Therapeutic Recreation

Equestrian activities / horseback riding

Animal Assistance Program

Camping

Focused Learning Groups

Child Abuse/Trauma Protective Skills

Grief

Aggression Management

Process Oriented Group

Daily Goals

Problem Solving

Counseling Skills

Transition Groups

Reunification, adoption, foster care or independent living

Aftercare

Life Skills

Grooming, Hygiene, and Self-Care

Daily Living, Social Skills

Cultural Awareness

Community Outings

Functional and Developmental Improvement/Maintenance

Health Screening

Community Health Supports

Stress & Anger Management

Relaxation Training

Assertive Skills

Anger Replacement Therapy

Social Streaming

COLLATERAL: Collateral services include, but are not limited to, helping significant support persons to understand and accept the individual’s condition and involving them in the development and implementation of the treatment plan. “Significant support person” means persons, in the opinion of the client or the person providing services, who have or could have a significant role in the successful outcome of treatment, including but not limited to the parents or legal guardian of a client who is a minor, the legal representative of a client who is not a minor, a person living in the same household as the client, and relatives of the beneficiary.

CASE MANAGEMENT:
Services that assist a client to access needed medical, educational, social, prevocational, vocational, rehabilitative, or other community services. The service activities may include, but are not limited to, communication, coordination, and referral; monitoring service delivery to ensure client access to service and the service delivery system; monitoring of the client’s progress; placement services; and plan development. Case Management Services may include but are not limited to:

Treatment Plan Meetings

Red Flag Meetings

Placement Meetings

Transition Meetings

Permanency Planning Meetings

MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
If it is determined by Charis’ multi-disciplinary team that a youth requires psychotropic medication evaluation to assist in ameliorating symptoms s/he is experiencing, medication support services will be provided as part of their comprehensive treatment planning process.

Medication management services include the prescription, administration, dispensing, and monitoring of psychotropic medications. Charis’ medication support services program provides the following:

Evaluation of the need for medication

Evaluation and monitoring of clinical effectiveness and side effects

Obtaining informed consent from the client’s guardian

Collateral medication education

Plan development

Prescribing of psychotropic medications

Only those professionals identified under Title 9, Chapter 11, as qualified to administer these services provide medication support services. Those professionals include: psychiatrists, physicians, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and Licensed psychiatric technicians.

The medical staff works closely with the Charis’ multidisciplinary treatment team in designing medication support services that support the overall treatment interventions provided by the mental health staff. Working together, this treatment team and the youth design an individualized medication plan that will be most effective in reducing the youth’s identified symptoms.

CRISIS INTERVENTION
Crisis Intervention is an emergency response service, lasting less than 24 hours, enabling the client to cope with a crisis while maintaining his/her status as a functioning community member to the greatest extent possible. A crisis is an unplanned event that results in the client’s need for immediate clinical intervention. Crisis Intervention services are limited to stabilization of the presenting emergency.

Success Stories

I think about this place all the time, the friends I made, your amazing staff. Just wanted you all to know how much I appreciated this place. Thank you!

— a graduated Charis youth

If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have turned out how I am now. Thank you for everything you did for me!

— a graduated Charis youth

No matter how hard the program is, it’ll help you in the long run. The staff is great and I had fun.

— a graduated Charis youth

Thank you for the scrap book you made me and all of the help and support you guys gave me. I have a lot of important people in my life but now I consider all of Charis important people in my life. I have made a lot of progress in my horse adventure. I can put the full saddle on including the bridle. My riding has increased into a gallop. If I never made the mistakes I did I would never have had the experience to interact with the horses… You guys have changed me into the person I am today.

— a graduated Charis youth

Thank you to the staff of your facility for caring for our daughter. Please keep up the good work.

— a pleased parent

The most wonderful people in the world.

— a pleased parent

At Charis our son went from being constantly depressed and acting out to a confident teen more willing to accept and work through the issues he faces. What made a world of difference was the staff’s unwavering acceptance of him, clear and firm limits, and the philosophy that every day is a new day where he can try to do his best. It’s been a year and half since he has been back home and he still talks about Charis and how helpful it was for him.

— a pleased parent

In my time at Charis they helped me to graduate from high school with a diploma, taught me life skills needed to obtain a job, and work towards living on my own. They have given me a sense of belonging and encouraged me to work toward my goals every day.

— a graduated Charis youth

While I was a client at Chris, despite my personal struggles, the staff there were able to tremendously help me socially and emotionally. Thanks.

— a graduated Charis youth

About

Charis Youth Center has provided residential, educational, and mental health services to emotionally disturbed (ED) adolescent boys and girls and support services to their families since its incorporation as a nonprofit public benefit and educational corporation in March of 1984.

AMAZON SMILE

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